About Teressa

"committed and scene-stealing... vivacious... possessed of a laser-focused whiz-bang of a soprano voice" - OperaToday.com

Teressa Foss is a coloratura soprano (full-lyric/light-dramatic) and an award-winning stage and independent film actress based in Northern California. She has performed in opera houses, concert halls, churches, recital halls, cruise ship theaters, non-traditional performance spaces, private residences, and a long list of professional regional theater companies, in venues from 99-seats to 17,000. Yes, you read that correctly.

Her film work has screened at festivals from California to Greece, and a list of film festival awards and nominations can be found on the Film Work page. Also, she has been seen and heard as a principal performer and voiceover artist in national commercials for companies such as AT&T, Xfinity and Healthy Choice.

She has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from UCLA, and studied vocal technique and repertoire with tenor Carl Franzen (San Jose, CA) and master teacher Neil Semer (NYC). Additional studies include Ariela Morgenstern's Singing Actor Studio (S.F.), Frances Epsen-Devlin's Voice Builder Class at A.C.T. (S.F.), Peter Brandt's Performance Singing (S.F.), the Neil Semer Vocal Institute in Coesfeld, DEU, SAG/AFTRA Conservatory (S.F. and L.A.), and the Theatricum Botanicum Shakespeare program in Southern California.

She is a proud member of AEA, AGMA and SAG/AFTRA, and has served on Bay Area Liaison and contract committees (LORT, Developing Theater, Bay Area Codes and Contracts) for AEA. A self-described "micro-philanthropist", she has also served terms on Theatre Bay Area's Ca$h Grant Panel, the Napa County Arts & Culture Advisory Committee, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominating Committee.

You can watch performance clips at YouTube.com/TeressaFossGlobal, listen to audio tracks of live performances at SoundCloud.com/TeressaFoss, check out the photo feed at Instagram.com/tessonstage, or drop by Facebook.com/Teressa.Foss just to say hello.

From the Press page

Daily Variety / "an impressively powerful performance of Verdi’s difficult ‘Vieni! t’affretta’ aria from MacBeth"
San Diego Union Tribune / "a knockout soprano who’s like the family’s closet Carmen”
San Francisco Examiner / "[her] soprano voice hits all the right chords, reaching deep into the audience’s hearts”
Clayton Pioneer / “the voice for an opera house and the skill to deliver both massive and delicate tones with equal ease / the kind of actor an audience can trust not to adorn a character with excessive or empty gestures / 300-volt delivery of the show’s signature song “Children of the Wind"
Benicia Herald / "stunning emotion and vocal control in the intensely dramatic scenes”
Santa Maria Sun / "dynamite combination of a powerful soprano voice and an innocent, yet ardent longing for love"
L.A. Weekly / "wonderfully appealing heroine”
San Francisco Classical Voice / "lovely"

Theatre Acclaim

Theatre Bay Area Nomination – Outstanding Principal Female Actor (Play), "Delicate Particle Logic", Indra's Net Theatre
BroadwayWorld.com Nomination – Best Leading Actress in a Play, "Delicate Particle Logic", Indra's Net Theatre
BroadwayWorld.com Nomination – Featured Actress, Musical - "Little Me", 42nd St. Moon
BroadwayWorld.com Nomination – Featured Actress, Musical - "Zorba", 42nd St. Moon
Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Nomination – Lead Actress, Musical - "Oh Kay", 42nd St. Moon
AriZoni Nomination – Supporting Actress, Musical - "The Light in the Piazza", Phoenix Theatre
Backstage West Garland Honorable Mention – Lead Actress, Musical - "Phantom", Fullerton Civic Light Opera
Robby (Rob Stevens) Award Nomination - Supporting Actress, Musical - "King of Hearts", Colony Theatre

Film Acclaim

Best Actress, 2010 Eerie Horror Film Festival
Best Actress Nomination, 2010 Indy Horror Film Fest

Other Recognition

2015 Theatre Bay Area TITAN Award Finalist

Headshot Photography: Kelsey Edwards, 2022
Casual Photography: Teressa Foss, 2022